BOY racers who shatter the peace of a North Yorkshire town by revving their engines and playing loud music have been warned to keep it quiet - or walk home.

Under the Police Reform Act, officers can confiscate cars or motorbikes being driven or ridden by those who ignore the warnings.

"We have done softly-softly, we have done hard-line - now we are simply saying be quiet or we will take your vehicle away," said community safety officer PC Mark Roberts.

"The owners will then have to pay a substantial sum to get them back."

The vehicle can be confiscated regardless of who owns it.

PC Roberts said: "I would not like to be a teenager going home to tell his parents that their car has been taken away because of his actions.

"Still less would I like telling them there is a £106 recovery charge, plus £12 a day storage fee."

Most of the complaints have come from Scarborough's Foreshore and on nearby Eastborough, where local people say the anti-social behaviour of a few is making life a misery for the majority who live and work in the area.

Police have tried talking to young drivers to persuade them to keep the noise down but this has had little effect.

"There is a strong will in the town to regenerate this area," said PC Roberts.

"That becomes so much harder when you have immature show-offs making a noise."

Letters have been distributed to homes and businesses in the area, encouraging local people to play a part in curbing the problem.

Anyone who spots a driver or motorcyclist they believe is acting unsociably can also fill in report forms which have been posted through letterboxes in the area.

Offenders will then be traced and given a written warning, but a second offence will mean their vehicle is removed to a safe police compound.

The owner will then have to pay a recovery fee and the appropriate storage charge.

"It's a shame it has come to this," said PC Roberts. "But enough is enough."